Ruins of Dunhuang watchtower from the Han Dynasty (202 BCE—220 CE)
"Zhufu Yan was a native of Linzi in Qi. He studied the diplomatic and military theories of the Warring States period, and in his later years the Book of Changes, the Spring and Autumn Annals, and the works of the various philosophers. He traveled about among the scholars of Qi but could find none who would treat him with any liberality. On the contrary they refused to have anything to do with him, so that he could get nowhere in his native state of Qi. His family was very poor and he likewise failed in all attempts to borrow money. Later he traveled north to Yan, Zhao, and the region of Zhongshan, but again was unable to find anyone who would employ him. He suffered great hardship on his travels.
He finally decided that it was no use seeking employment among the feudal lords and during the first year of the yuanguang era (134 BCE) of the present emperor he journeyed west beyond the Pass to the capital, where he obtained an interview with General Wei Qing.
Wei Qing mentioned him several times to the emperor, but the emperor failed to summon him to court. Although he had very little money, he continued to linger about the capital until many of the officials and their retainers had grown to dislike him. At last he decided to submit a letter directly to the throne. His petition was brought before the emperor in the morning, and that same evening he was summoned for an audience. His memorial dealt with nine items, of which eight were concerned with legal matters. The other item was a criticism of the attacks being made on the Xiongnu. This portion of his letter read as follows:
"In the Rules of the Marshal describing the ancient art of warfare it is said that, no matter how large a nation may be, if it is too fond of fighting it is doomed to perish. It is also said that, no matter how peaceful the world may be, if men forget warfare altogether, danger will ensue.
No one who has devoted himself to arms and spent all his efforts on military endeavors has ever failed to regret it. In earlier times the First Emperor of the Qin, relying upon his might in battle, gobbled up the whole world. And yet he would not cease his warfare there, but wanted to go on to attack the Xiongnu.
His minister Li Si reprimanded him, saying, "It is impossible". But the First Emperor would not listen. He extended the borders of the empire 1,000 li. The troops spent over ten years fighting in the wastes and wildernesses, where they died in untold numbers, and yet they were never able to extend the empire north beyond the Yellow River.
Moreover, warfare prolonged over a great period often gives rise to rebellion, and the burden of military service is apt to lead to disaffection, for the people along the border are subjected to great strain and hardship until they think only of breaking away, while the generals and officers grow suspicious of each other and begin to bargain with the enemy. It was circumstances such as these which caused Zhao Tuo to turn against the Qin and make himself an independent ruler in Southern Yue, and the Qin general Zhang Han to desert to the army of the rebellious nobles. The rule of the Qin ceased to be effective because its authority was weakened by the loss of these two men. Such are the results of an erroneous policy.
I beg Your Majesty to examine closely what I have written!"
-Sima Qian (on Zhufu Yan's letter to the Han Emperor sometime around the years 134-126 BCE), Records of the Grand Historian (translated by Burton Watson)
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| Ruins of Dunhuang watchtower from the Han Dynasty (202 BCE—220 CE). |
Source:
Quote:
Sima Qian (quoting Zhufu Yan's letter to the Han Emperor sometime around the years 134-126 BCE), Records of the Grand Historian (translated by Burton Watson), page 193 II
https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.532974/2015.532974.records-of_djvu.txt
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